Bad news is best delivered early. That old adage came to mind as I contemplated the current disruptions in the supply chain.
The shortage of microchips is all over the news, but there are also issues with steel, lumber, tires and other components that have made it increasingly difficult for vehicle manufactures to complete building both trucks and trailers.
In many cases, manufacturers are parking partially completed vehicles against the fence waiting for needed parts and components to arrive. When the needed component shows up, it gets put into the first trucks that were parked. That can create an additional problem if the truck has been sitting for weeks on end in a field not running. Trucks don't do well when they are parked with the engine not running for long periods of time. And we are hearing about issues with newly delivered trucks needing service work before they can be put into operation.
This supply chain issue does not look like it is going to go away anytime soon. One thing that seems to be missing from the discussion of the current supply chain disruption is the importance of communication across the supply chain — starting with the vehicle manufacturer.
Which brings me back to the adage, bad news is best delivered early.
